Alcune questioni teoriche nello studio della letteratura indianoamericana

Authors

  • Stefano Bosco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/2281-4582/2017.i9.237

Abstract

In un saggio del 2011 intitolato “Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Nationalist Fires,” Deborah Madsen analizzava il posizionamento e le direzioni di sviluppo dei Native American Studies nel mondo accademico europeo, in rapporto alle recenti evoluzioni della disciplina nel contesto nordamericano e statunitense in particolare. Il saggio di Madsen si preoccupava di delineare alcune linee-guida programmatiche con cui gli studiosi europei di Native American Studies (un po’ come i loro colleghi americani non-nativi) avrebbero potuto (e dovuto) evitare la riproposizione di un discorso euro-centrico, funzionale al mantenimento dell’ordine egemonico bianco e anglosassone, rispondendo e dialogando invece con le nuove proposte teoricometodologiche elaborate dagli studiosi indiani stessi. Quello che Madsen mancava di rilevare era invece un’apertura, questa volta da parte delle comunità indiane medesime, verso un’internazionalizzazione del dibattito che li riguarda, lontano da una dimensione esclusivamente locale a cui gli studiosi non-indiani debbano sempre e comunque fare riferimento. In effetti, l’apparente contraddizione fra gli impulsi tribal-nazionalisti dei Native American Studies e la svolta transnazionale più ampia negli studi letterari e culturali afferenti agli Stati Uniti sembra trovare una sua conciliazione nell’ormai consolidata pratica di stabilire nessi discorsivi fra le esperienze storiche e culturali di comunità assai distanti fra loro, nonché di proporre strategie comuni volte alla continuazione delle popolazioni indigene nel mondo. Ad ogni modo, in questa sede non intendo delineare un bilancio dei Native American Studies in Europa negli anni recenti; piuttosto, vorrei offrire un’introduzione ai concetti e alle questioni critiche fondanti degli American Indian Studies, con particolare riferimento al versante letterario di questo multiforme campo disciplinare.

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Published

2017-06-01